The goalkeeper pushed as hard as he could but his back does not offer him minimum guarantees at the moment.
Marc-André has already spent more than two weeks without training normally with Barça
As SPORT reported this Monday, it was highly unlikely – almost impossible – that Marc-André Ter Stegen could be at Xavi’s disposal for this Tuesday’s match against Porto. Although the goalkeeper wanted to make one last attempt this Tuesday morning, the truth is that the test was not satisfactory: His back still does not give him minimum guarantees to force and finally he did not enter the squad list.
Ter Stegen spent more than three hours at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper following treatment and testing himself to see if he is fit to compete at the highest level. In the end, in common agreement with the technical staff and medical services, they chose not to risk not feeling one hundred percent ready to compete.
The German goal, who already accumulates more than two weeks without training quality with Barça, he was willing to play without being one hundred percent. Aware of the difficulties that the team is going through, The former Gladbach player wanted to help. But the back is a delicate area, especially for a goalkeeper, and Marc did not find the sensations he was looking for to avoid turning a gesture of commitment into irresponsibility.
The goalkeeper, who has been resting and receiving massage treatment for days, went to the Ciudad Deportiva this Tuesday morning. Accompanied by ‘Dela’, goalkeeping coach, Ter Stegen calibrated his feelings and found that he is not yet ready to play. We must remember that yesterday, Monday, the German did go out to activate on the grass when the television cameras were no longer there. It was a small step, but the most important one was missing, which had to be today.
Doubt to face Atlético
Now, The goalkeeper’s objective is transferred to Sunday’s match against Atlético de Madrid. There are five days left until the match, a greater margin than the one between the matches against Rayo and Porto. No one at the club dares to guarantee anything, but locker room sources remain hopeful. Of course, with each day that passes, the amount of time that the goalkeeper has not trained increases, an issue that also needs to be taken into account.
In any case, confidence in Iñaki Peña is absolute and it is considered that if tonight the man from Alicante performs at a good level and the team achieves a good result, his confidence will be catapulted in the face of the challenge against Simeone’s team. The first games are always the most complicated for a second goalkeeper, since he initially lacks a competitive rhythm that he would already have on Sunday.